Pinoy map lands on iconic shoe

ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine map became highly visible on T-shirts this year especially during the presidential campaign when then Senator Benigno Aquino III and running-mate Senator Mar Roxas wore them in yellow and blue respectively almost every day.

Since then, the Philippine map design has figured in other items, from clothes to bags and even slippers and keychains, fueling Pinoy pride.

The "map" shirts as worn by Aquino and Roxas were from Collezione-C2, and is a brainchild of creative director and acclaimed fashion designer Rhett Eala.

This year, Collezione-C2 partnered with casual footwear giant Crocs to put the Philippine map in iconic Crocs clogs that are soft, lightweight, and odor-resistant.

Pinoy pride lives on in footwear by Crocs.

The result is the limited edition MyPilipinas Crocband touted as "distinctly Pinoy, and distinctly Crocs."

Wearable Pinoy pride

MyPilipinas Crocband is designed by Eala and is positioned as shoes that can "intensify national pride in each Filipino, with a dash of fun and loaded with functionality," according to Crocs.

“It’s an important collaboration in terms of carrying the ‘fashionalism’ movement forward,” said Eala. “We are happy that a global brand like Crocs saw it fit to team up with our label to create an innovative product that speaks so distinctively of our country.”

“The shoe is in line with Collezione-C2’s objective of creating globally relevant products that merge art, fashion, and nationalism. This collaboration with Crocs hits that mark and provides another opportunity to show what we Filipinos have to offer," said Joey Qua, managing director of Collezione-C2.

MyPilipinas Crocband was launched last October 30 along with the Crocs Fall/Holiday collection and Collezione-C2's Holiday 2010 line at a fashion show held at TriNoMa in Quezon City.

Since Filipinos love to travel, Eala created a "travel-worthy" line for the Collezione-C2 Holiday 2010 collection while remaining true to its brand aesthetic of "global Filipino fashion." The clothes were made of fabrics that hold up against the rigors of traveling, such as cotton jersey, fleece, nylon and acrylic.

“Travel shouldn’t be about losing oneself, but a journey of discovering and reaffirming who you are,” said Eala. “When I created this collection, I wanted to remind Filipinos that identity isn’t bound by time or place.” -- Karen Galarpe, abs-cbnNEWS.com